STOP WITH THE GUILT ABOUT EARTH DAY

Mark Carberry and Robert MarantoTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Monday is Earth Day, which should be cause for celebration. OK, there are always a few flat-earth anti-environment types who complain about kids in public schools who can't pray to Jesus but are taught to worship dirt.

But for the rest of us, Earth Day should be a time to appreciate the beauty of nature and humans living in harmony with nature.

Trouble is, nobody is celebrating. Instead of lauding success, environmentalists think that the true meaning of Earth Day is fear: Environmental groups tell Americans to fear for the air, the forest, the food supply and the whales. With fear comes guilt. It's as if the environmentalists were puritanical preachers, but instead of guilt about sex, they want us to feel guilty for eating good food, living in nice houses and driving SUVs.

We say, Enough! You can both live well and save the whales. In fact, humans are doing just that. Environmentalism has sensitized humans to the importance of a healthy Earth. Capitalism, at least in the nations that have embraced it, has made economies more efficient, allowing more people to live better while polluting less.

So here are five reasons to celebrate rather than mourn Earth Day -- five things the Sierra Club might forget to mention in its next fund-raising letter:

Pollution is way down. Government regulations, taxes on pollution,and greater efficiencies by businesses are eradicating pollutants. From 1957 to 1996, particulates, otherwise known as smoke, declined 62 percent in the United States and 90 percent or more in England, improving health for millions, particularly children and the elderly. We have enjoyed similar declines in ozone, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Thanks to bans on leaded gasoline and paint, lead levels in an average American's blood have dropped by more than 80 percent.

We are not running out of resources. Take oil. Yes, oil will eventually run out. But will it happen soon? And does it matter? As any economist knows, higher oil prices push producers to put hard-to-reach fields into production and force consumers to conserve. In short, high prices make supplies last longer. Really high oil prices make solar energy economical, and we will never run out of sunlight. Accordingly, back in 1920 experts thought we had only 10 years of oil left; today they estimate 40 years or more.

Forests are coming back. United Nations studies show the earth's forests increasing from 30.04 percent of land area in 1950 to 30.89 percent in 1994, a 3 percent gain. In America, forests increased by a whopping 29 percent in the same time period, with forest cover nearly doubling in New England. We have more trees because of better timber practices. Also, because more efficient farming feeds more people on less land, we are leaving the rest to nature. As the trees have returned, so has wildlife. In states such as New Jersey and Connecticut, deer and bear were practically extinct 50 years ago. Today, they are nuisances.

Better living. Some people fear that increasing populations bring starvation. Yet worldwide, we produce 23 percent more food per person than in 1961. Caloric intake has risen by 24 percent, with the biggest gains in the poor nations. Malnourishment has fallen from 35 percent to 18 percent. Pesticides, fertilizers and better seeds have increased food production faster than population growth. Population growth is now slowing, so we need not fear that population will overtake the food supply. Just a century ago, only 40 percent of people lived past the age of 60. Today, 85 percent are likely to. Infant mortality is decreasing, hygiene is improving and people are becoming healthier.

About those whales ... Protected by international law, whales have turned the corner. California gray whales, once nearly extinct, are now so plentiful (21,000) that they have been removed from the endangered species list. Bowhead and humpback whales have more than doubled in number and are no longer in immediate danger. Even blue whales are coming back.

In short, we have much to celebrate. On this Earth Day we can feel good about our Earth, and ourselves.

Mark Carberry, of Rocky Hill, is a student at Villanova University, where Robert Maranto teaches political science.